Graves had been heavily favored in the district that leans strongly Republican.

Edwards is a former state legislator and congressman who served four terms as Louisiana governor. He left office in 1996 and was convicted of corruption four years later in a casino licensing scheme. He regained the spotlight after his release from prison in 2011. Edwards married his former prison pen pal, roughly five decades his junior. They had a son and were featured in a short-lived reality TV show.